On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a fairly traded box of chocolates:
Christmas is a time when we seem to be constantly eating chocolate, biscuits and cakes. You and your family can consume with a clear conscience by buying fairly traded goodies to snack on. A variety of treats can be bought from most supermarkets as well as lots of independent stores. Check out our Tearfund's ethical directory (and click on fashion ethical directory) to find out what you can buy where.
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two recycled cards:
We send 1.7 billion Christmas cards each year. That's the equivalent of 200,000 trees (source Ethical Consumer). There are several ways that you can help to reduce the waste that this creates:
1) Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth have created special labels which you can stick over last years cards enabling you to resend them. They are available from www.naturalcollection.com Just make sure you dont send them back to the same person!
2) If reusing isnit your style, then buy recycled cards. Again, you can get these from www.naturalcollection.com. Alternatively, fairly traded cards can be purchased at www.tearcraft.org
3) After Christmas, take your old cards to branches of WH Smith or Tescos. From 2nd 31st January 2006, they will recycle them through a scheme run by The Woodland Trust.
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me three ethical hoodies:
The number of companies making cool fairly traded or ethically sourced clothing is growing all the time. If you are going to be receiving clothes for Christmas, why not ensure that the person who made them is also getting a good deal. For a list of ethical clothing companies, check out Tearfund's ethical directory . Don't forget this might be a good way to spend your Christmas money too!
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me four recycled gifts:
If you already recycle your rubbish and unwanted goods, have you thought about buying gifts with a recycled content? www.recycledproducts.org.uk has a whole range of items from practical things to decorative goods that would make fantastic Christmas presents for your family and friends.
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me five fairtrade rings:
Thinking of buying your mum, sister or girlfriend some jewellery this Christmas? Look no further than Tearcraft's beautiful range of rings, necklaces, bracelets and brooches, all of which have been produced by people who are paid a fair price for their craftsmanship. Tearcraft also produces a whole range of items for the home and garden, as well as cards, stationary and toys. Check out www.tearcraft.org to browse their catalogue.
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me six tree decorations:
According to Ethical Consumer, many Christmas decorations are made in China which means they may well have come from sweatshops. Why not suggest to your family that this year they buy fairly traded decorations from www.tearcraft.org (order by 16 December 2005), or you could be creative and make your own! Check out www.ethicalmatters.co.uk for some great ideas.
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me seven gifts that give twice:
If you are buying any presents online this year, then why not give to Tearfund at the same time? UshopUgive operates an online shopping mall that sells items from many high street stores. When you purchase through this site, the retailer will make a donation to Tearfund if you select it as your charity of choice. This doesn't cost you a thing: you pay the same price as you would on the high street, but you give twice over. Check out www.ushopugive.com and start shopping!
As a New Years resolution, you could also consider giving 0.7% of your income to Tearfund. Check out; Lift the Label and click on finance to find out how.
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me eight days of service:
Well, maybe not 8 days, but instead of giving someone yet another pair of socks, tie or diary, why not give them some of your time? You could spend a day doing something fun together, or - particularly with your parents - helping them get a specific task done, such as painting a room or cleaning out the garage.
If that doesn't appeal to you, you could always see if your local charity shop needs an extra pair of hands over the Christmas period or if you can help prepare Christmas lunch at a retirement home or homeless outreach near you.
You could also get involved with Soul Action the new sister charity of Soul Survivor. Check out www.soulaction.org to find out more
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me nine Christmas outfits:
If you are going to any parties during the festive season, you may well find yourself shopping for a new pair of jeans or the perfect sparkly top. Why not commit to giving one unwanted item from your wardrobe to a charity shop in the place of every new item that you buy. You could even take the opportunity to spring clean your cupboards four months early! And, whilst you are shopping, think about campaigning as part of our Lift the Label Day of Action on Arcadia. For more information on how to take part, check out; Lift the label. .
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me ten gifts that cost less:
You may find the pennies mounting up as you go through December and, as a young person or student, you probably don't have that much spare cash in the first place. Our new free Lift the Label on Finance pack will help you get God's priorities as you give, save, spend, budget and borrow, not just this Christmas, but right through next year. Check out Lift the Label and click on finance for online tips and to order the pack.
If you find yourself short of money to buy gifts, then do check out your local charity shops and pound shops for some bargains, or get creative and make your own presents - homemade biscuits (using fair-trade chocolate) are tasty and cheap and will help convince your parents that you have domestic skills!
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love did for me eleven acts of kindness:
Fancy spreading a little kindness around this Christmas? Get some tips from Tearfund's interactive online advent calendar. Each day will offer inspiration for a small act of kindness you can do for others around you. Check out Tearfund and click on 'be an angel', to be inspired!
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me twelve bags of rubbish:
The UK uses 50,000 trees worth of wrapping paper each year (source Ethical Consumer). When find yourself wrapping all those pressies last thing on Christmas Eve consider reusing paper or gift bags you may already have in the house or, failing that, using recycled wrapping paper. Another tip is to use string or ribbon to tie up your presents as sticky tape isnt biodegradable. Finally, you could confuse Father Christmas by putting all your presents for your family in stockings as these create no waste at all!
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